Cecily Zamora
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, also known as the Pendleton Act, was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883. The Act established a merit-based system for selecting government officials and supervising their work, replacing the previous system of political patronage. It required federal government jobs to be awarded based on merit and for government employees to be selected through competitive exams. The Pendleton Act was a response to the assassination of President James A. Garfield by a disgruntled job seeker, and it transformed the nature of public service in the United States.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the Act | Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act |
| Year | 1883 |
| Date of approval | 16 January |
| President who signed the Act into law | Chester A. Arthur |
| Senators who sponsored the Act | George H. Pendleton, Democratic senator from Ohio |
| Senators who opposed the Act | Benjamin F. Marsh, James S. Robinson, Robert Smalls, William Robert Moore, John R. Thomas, George W. Steele, and Orlando Hubbs |
| Mechanism established | Permanent federal employment based on merit rather than political party affiliation |
| Number of federal employees at the time | 132,000 |
| Number of federal employees covered by the Act initially | 10% |
| Number of federal employees covered by the Act within five years | 50% |
| Number of federal positions covered by the merit system under President Grover Cleveland | 27,000 |
| Prohibited actions | Firing or demoting government officials for political reasons |
| Prohibited contributions | Mandatory campaign contributions or "assessments" |
| Entrance requirements | Competitive exams for aspiring bureaucrats |
| Term of officials | Four years |
| Changes in campaign finance | Political parties had to look for new sources of campaign funds, such as wealthy donors |
| Subsequent updates to the Act | Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 |
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What You'll Learn
The Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, also known as the Pendleton Act, was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883. The Act established a merit-based system for selecting government officials and supervising their work. It was named after Senator George Hunt Pendleton of Ohio, a long-time reformer.
The Act also created the United States Civil Service Commission to oversee civil service examinations and enforce the merit system. The Commission was authorised to appoint three Civil Service Commissioners, who would hold no other official position and be paid a salary of $3,500 per year. The Commission was tasked with making investigations, reporting on the enforcement and effects of the rules and regulations, and submitting an annual report to the President for transmission to Congress.
The Act transformed the nature of public service, and today, it covers most of the 2.9 million positions in the federal government. It has been updated over time, with the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 being a significant update to the Pendleton Act.
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The Civil Service Commission
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, passed in 1883, was a landmark federal law that established a merit-based system for selecting government officials and supervising their work. The Act was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur, following the assassination of President James A. Garfield by a disgruntled job seeker. The Pendleton Act provided that federal government jobs be awarded based on merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams. This marked the end of the "spoils system", where office holders were systematically replaced every time the government changed party hands.
The Pendleton Act initially applied only to 10% of federal jobs, but it allowed the President to expand the number of positions covered. Within five years of its passage, half of the federal appointments outside the United States Postal Service were covered by the Act. The Act also made it illegal to fire or demote government officials for political reasons and prohibited mandatory campaign contributions, addressing the widespread issue of "assessments" that made up a majority of political contributions during that era.
The Pendleton Act faced opposition from some congressional members, particularly Democrats. However, it gained support from a majority of Democrats and Republicans in Congress, who voted in favour of the bill. The Act underwent expansions and updates over time, with President Grover Cleveland expanding the number of federal positions subject to the merit system during his first term. In 1978, Congress passed the Civil Service Reform Act as a major update to the Pendleton Act, reflecting the ongoing evolution of civil service laws.
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Entrance exams for aspiring bureaucrats
The concept of entrance exams for aspiring bureaucrats has a long history, with variations existing in different parts of the world. One notable example is the imperial examination system in China, which dates back to the Sui dynasty (581-618) and was further developed during the Tang dynasty (618-907). This system was based on the idea of selecting bureaucrats based on merit rather than birthright, and it played a significant role in tempering the power of hereditary aristocracy.
In the United States, the implementation of entrance exams for aspiring bureaucrats was influenced by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883. This legislation transformed the nature of public service by establishing a merit-based system for selecting government officials and supervising their work. The Pendleton Act provided that federal government jobs be awarded based on merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams, rather than political connections.
The Pendleton Act initially applied only to 10% of federal jobs, but it allowed the president to expand its coverage. Within five years of its passage, half of the federal appointments outside the United States Postal Service were covered by the Act. This Act also created the United States Civil Service Commission to oversee civil service examinations and prohibited the practice of appointees paying "assessment fees" to political parties.
Over time, the scope of the Pendleton Act broadened, and today it applies to most of the 2.9 million positions in the federal government. However, it's important to note that not all civil servants are hired under these regulations. For example, the Senior Executive Service comprises high-ranking bureaucrats hired by specific agencies for their leadership abilities and skills.
While the Pendleton Act has undergone updates and revisions, such as the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, its core principle of merit-based selection through competitive exams remains influential in shaping the process for aspiring bureaucrats in the United States.
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The end of the spoils system
The "spoils system" refers to the practice of an incoming president replacing federal employees who served under the previous administration with loyalists from their own party. While this system was never an official US policy, it became a political norm over time. The spoils system was not a covert form of corruption in the eyes of 19th-century politicians, but rather an openly discussed method of government administration.
The spoils system resulted in many people being appointed to positions for which they were unqualified. This, along with the constant turnover in even local-level positions, created extreme inefficiency. The system was universally condemned, and calls for reform increased with the growth of the federal government after the Civil War. In 1876, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes ran for president on a platform that included reforming the spoils system. However, he was unsuccessful in his attempts.
The spoils system came to an end following the assassination of President James A. Garfield by a disgruntled job seeker. This event had a huge impact on the movement for civil service reform. In 1883, Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which established a merit-based system of selecting government officials and supervising their work. The act initially applied only to ten percent of federal jobs, but it allowed the president to expand the number of federal employees covered by the act. Within five years of the passage of the law, half of the federal appointments outside of the United States Postal Service were covered by the act.
The Pendleton Act also created the United States Civil Service Commission to oversee civil service examinations and outlawed the use of "assessments," fees that political appointees were expected to pay to their respective political parties. The act prevented new presidents from directly dismissing officials, although officials were only protected for a given "term", which was often the same length as a single presidential term.
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President Chester A. Arthur's role
President Chester A. Arthur played a significant role in the creation of civil service laws in the United States. On January 16, 1883, he signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law, which transformed the nature of public service.
The Pendleton Act was a response to the assassination of President James A. Garfield by a disgruntled job seeker in 1881. The act aimed to regulate and improve the civil service by establishing a merit-based system for selecting government officials and supervising their work. It provided that federal government jobs be awarded based on merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams rather than political ties. This marked the end of the "spoils system," where officeholders were systematically replaced every time the government changed party hands.
President Arthur acted swiftly to appoint the members of the newly created Civil Service Commission, naming reformers Dorman Bridgman Eaton, John Milton Gregory, and Leroy D. Thoman as commissioners. The commission issued its first rules in May 1883, and by 1884, half of all postal officials and three-quarters of the Customs Service jobs were awarded based on merit.
The Pendleton Act initially applied only to 10% of federal jobs, but it allowed the president to expand the number of positions covered. Within five years of its passage, half of the federal appointments outside the United States Postal Service were covered by the act. The law also created the United States Civil Service Commission to oversee civil service examinations and outlawed the use of "assessments," or mandatory campaign contributions, which had previously made up a significant portion of political contributions.
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, signed by President Chester A. Arthur, was a landmark legislation that laid the foundation for a more qualified, non-partisan, and merit-based federal workforce in the United States. It addressed widespread public demand for civil service reform, stirred by mounting incompetence, graft, corruption, and theft in federal departments and agencies following the Civil War.
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Frequently asked questions
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, also known as the Pendleton Act, was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883.
The Pendleton Act established a merit-based system of selecting government officials and supervising their work. It provided that federal government jobs be awarded based on merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams. It also made it illegal to fire or demote government officials for political reasons.
The Pendleton Act transformed the nature of public service and marked the end of the "spoils system", where office holders were systematically replaced every time the government changed party hands. Over time, the scope of the Act broadened, and today it applies to most of the 2.9 million positions in the federal government.
